Folding paperboard carrier for bottles and the like



Oct. 2, 1962 L. J. LA FRENIERE ETAL 3,056,527

FOLDING PAPERBOARD CARRIER FOR BOTTLES AND THE LIKE Original Filed Dec. 27, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 J at INVENTORS LAWRENCE .1 LA FRE/V/ERE y DANIEL PDURKEE Oct. 1962 L. J. LA FRENIERE ETAL 3,056,527

FOLDING PAPERBOARD CARRIER FOR BOTTLES AND THE LIKE Original Filed Dec. 27, 1955 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 ,{9. INVENTORS 27 LAWRENCE J. LA FRfN/ERE 4/ y .DANIEL 7? DURKEE ATTO NEYS' I Oct; 2, 1962 L. J. LA FRENIERE ET AL 3,055,527

FOLDING PAPERBOARD CARRIER FOR BOTTLES AND THE LIKE Original Filed Dec. 27, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 H a :1 A... T l W/ M, 12 w i (Llr|||||||||| I INVENTORS- LA w/?/vc 1 LA FREN/ERE y DAN/EL PDURKEE z AT RNEYS i WW m mm tats 1 Claim. ct. 220-413 The invention relates to folding paperboard carriers for bottles and the like, and particularly to improvements in What carton manufacturers call a two by three carrier designed to hold six bottles in two rows of three arranged back to back, and having a carrying handle above and between the rows. This application is a continuation of my copending application, Serial No. 555,325, filed December 27, 1955, now abandoned.

The highly developed bottle carrier art will show numerous constructions designed to be made from a onepiece paperboard blank, this being a common objective in folding carton manufacture. Sometimes, however, the handles and the center partitions in which they are formed have had to be made separately in order to meet other requirements, such as that of obtaining full partitions between the bottles-i.e. a carrier in which the walls of the individual cells are free from out out areas. One of the big problems has been how to construct a one-piece folding carrier (handle included) which will provide full partition separation of bottles as required by the Interstate Commerce Commission for carriers used in shipment by rail, and which at the same time is well adapted to be produced with the use of existing machinery and by generally accepted manufacturing techniques. Other considerations to be met include enonomy of paperboard in laying out for die cutting of the blanks from standard size sheets, avoidance of an unbalanced design such as where, to achieve other purposes, it becomes necessary to resort to constructions in which some cell walls are made thicker (more overlaid thicknesses of the paperboard stock) and others thinner than they should bei.e. where balance in strength between various parts of the carrier is sacrificed for one reason or another.

It is an object of our invention to provide an improved paperboard carrier which will most satisfactorily meet all of the severe requirements of present day manufacture and use including the requirement for full partitions and taking into account all of the other factors in the problem stated above. Other objects and advantages will appear as the description proceeds.

Summary In general, our carrier utilizes the construction in which the side walls have four similar lateral extensions bent around vertical folds and attached to the side Walls to form solid-walled rectangular tubes comprising the outer cells of each of the two rows of cells. Together with the side walls the inner sides of these tubes also form three sides of the center cells, and the fourth side is formed by a center panel extending from the back of, and offset from, one of the outer cells. This center panel is folded down so as to extend between the outer cells, the outer cells of one row being glued to the backs of those of the other row with vertical edge portions of the center panel held between the inner corners of the outer cells. Also, the backs of the outer cells of one row have extensions (generally U-shaped) overlapping above the tops of the cells and adhesively secured together to form a handle element. The back of one outer cell of the other row has a handle extension folded over these overlapping extensions.

atct

3,05%,527 Patented Got. 2, 1962 Description In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a face view of the blank from which our improved carrier is constructed. The view shows that side of the blank which forms the inside surfaces of the carrier. Also it shows areas to which glue is applied before the performance of the two folding operations shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.

FIG. 2 is a view of the blank following the first folding operation.

FIG. 3 is a view of the blank following the second folding operation, and shows areas to which glue is applied before performance of the next two folding operations shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.

FIG. 4 is a view of the blank following the third folding operation.

FIG. 5 is a view of the blank following the fourth folding operation, and shows areas to which giue is applied before or during performance of the final folding operation shown in FIG. 6.

FIG. 6 is a face view of the completed carrier in its flat folded form, ready for shipment by the carton manufacturer to the bottler or other customer.

FIG. 7 is a top perspective view of the carrier as set up for use.

FIG. 8 is a central vertical transverse sectional view taken as indicated at 8-8 in FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view taken as indicated at 99 in FIG. 7.

FIG. 10 is a detail of a blank layout showing the interlocking relationship of the edges of two blanks as die-cut from a sheet of paperboard.

Referring to the drawings, we shall now describe the best mode contemplated by us for carrying out our invention.

Our improved carrier comprises in its general structural arrangement a rectangular bottom 11 creased lengthwise in the middle as at 12, side walls 13, 13 extending upwardly from two opposite edges of the bottom, lateral extensions 14, 14, 14, 14 of the side walls bent around vertical folds (all vertical fold lines are indicated by the common designation and horizontal folds by the designation 7" except as otherwise specifically indicated) and attached to the side walls as by means of glue flaps 15,. to form rectangular tubes comprising outer cells of each row and together with the side walls forming three sides of the center cells. The fourth side of the center cells is formed by a center panel 16 which extends vertically and laterally from the back of one outer cell, viz. cell 17, and folded to extend between the outer cells (see FIGS. 7, 8 and 9), the outer cells of one row being secured to the backs of those of the other row, with vertical edge portions 16', 16' of the center panel held between the inner corners 19 of the outer cells. The center panel 16 adjoins the back of outer cell 17 at a horizontal fold line 1 adjacent the top of that cell. The back of cell 17 has an upward extension 20' from which center panel 16 is severed along a diagonal line 21 terminating at the aforesaid fold line 7".

The backs of the outer cells of one row have U-shaped extensions 22, 22 overlapping above the tops of the cells and adhesively secured together to form a handle element. The back of one outer cell of the other row, viz. cell 13, has an extension 23 folded over the aforesaid overlapping U-shaped extensions 22, these several extensions of the cell backs being adhesively secured together to form a handle. For this purpose extension 23 is provided with a cutout 24 and cuts 25, 25 forming a flap 26 which is folded upwardly to meet the fold line 5 of the extension 23.

Bottom 11 is notched out at 27 for engagement by locking tongues 28 formed at the bottom of the cell backs of the adjacent pair of outer cells.

Reference has already been made to the upward extension 20 at the back of cell 17. This extension lies opposite portion 29 of the U-shaped extension 22 of the adjacent outer cell of the other row. Similarly the other pair of outer cells have opposed extensions at 30 and portion 31 of the corresponding U-shaped extension 22. The several elements 20, 29, 30 and 31 are glued up between the overlying folded handle element 23, the latter being severable from the blank from which the carrier is formed at lines of separation 32 and 33 and foldable about score line f.

Manufacture of the Carrier With reference to FIGS. 1 to 6, inclusive, we shall now describe the folding and gluing steps in manufacturing the carrier as produced in its flat folded form for shipment by the box manufacturer to the bottler or other customer. It will be understood that the blank of FIG. 1 is cut out from a paperboard sheet with the use of conventional cutting and scoring dies to produce the blanks with prescored fold lines ready to be placed in the magazine of a box making machine for performance of the folding and gluing operations. The detail of a blank layout in FIG. 10 shows the interlocking relationship of the edges of two blanks as die cut from a sheet of paperboard from which it will be understood that our carrier is also well adapted for production with optimum economy of paperboard in laying out for die cutting of the blanks. One of the features of our carrier is that it is well adapted to be produced With the use of existing machinery and by generally accepted manufacturing techniques.

As the blank is fed through the machine, glue is first applied to the areas 34 indicated by the stippling in FIG. 1. Next, portions of extensions 14- of the side walls 13 are folded about the line 1 FIG. 2 shows the condition of the blank following this first folding operation. Glue is applied to one or both of the extensions 22 (see the stippled area at 35 in FIG. 2); A second fold is now made about lines 21, FIG. 3 showing the condition of the blank following this second folding operation.

FIG. 3 also shows the areas over which glue is applied after the second folding operation, namely the stippled areas 36, 37, 38, 39, 40 and 41. Now there is performed a third folding operation in which center panel 16 is folded about line 1" into the position shown in FIG. 4. Next the blank is folded about line 4 and flap 26 about line 4f, the condition of the blank then being as shown in FIG. 5. Glue is now applied over the stippled areas 42 and 43, and the fifth and final folding operation consists in folding over the outside section of handle member 23 around fold line which completes the flat folded carrier as viewed in FIG. 6.

The carrier is easily set up from its fiat folded form in a manner which is more or less conventional in the bottle carrier art, to produce the erected carton shown in FIGS. 7, 8 and 9. Note in these views that all of the cells provide full partitions between the bottles. That is, the walls of the individual cells are free from out out areas. Thus the cells consist of rectangular tubes which are imperforate, or solid-walled. Hence our invention solves the problem of how to construct a one-piece folding carrier (handle included) which will provide full partition separation of bottles as required by the Interstate Commerce Commission for carriers used in shipment by rail, and which at the same time is well adapted to be produced with the use of existing machinery and by generally accepted manufacturing techniques. Furthermore, our carrier has a design which is well balanced from the standpoint of maintaining uniformity of thickness of the cell walls at the two ends thereof.

The terms and expressions which we have employed are used in a descriptive and not a limiting sense, and we have no intention of excluding such equivalents of the invention described, or of portions thereof, as fall within the scope of the claim.

We claim:

A paperboard blank adapted to be formed into a collapsible carrier for bottles and the like having two parallel rows of three cells each, said blank being formed from one piece of paperboard and comprising a rectangular main body portion having horizontal fold lines forming a bottom panel and a pair of side panels, lateral extensions connected to each end edge of each side panel, said lateral extensions each having vertical fold lines forming in each extension three consecutive cell panels of approximately equal Width and approximately equal height which when set up as a carrier form the outer cells, a handle extending along the upper edge portion of said blank and removably connected to the upper edge of a side panel and to the upper edge of an adjacent cell panel compris-- ing two handle panels divided by a horizontal fold line, at least one of the cell panels having a handle supporting portion extending from the upper edge portion of the cell panel, said blank including:

a center panel extending upwardly from and hingedly connected to the second cell panel from said side panel (a) at a horizontal fold line adjacent the handle supporting portion and below the top edge thereof,

(b) the lower edge of the center panel being approximately in line with said horizontal fold line and with the lower edge of the lowermost of said two handle panels, and (c) the center panel having vertical side edges extending both above and below the horizontal fold line dividing said two handle panels,

whereby said center panel is aligned laterally with thetwo handle panels while permitting the center panel to have side edges for uniform overlap with partions of the end cells when the blank is set up.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,634,043 Arneson Apr. 7, 1953 2,696,341 Gilbert Dec. 7, 1954 2,696,942 Ringler Dec. 14, 1954 2,719,649 Gilbert Oct. 4, 1955 2,755,960 Kramer July 24, 1956 2,820,570 Ringler Ian. 21, 1958 2,820,571 Ringler Jan. 21, 1958 

